Glass installation is typically a three-stage process. First, a clear silane primer or cleaner is applied to the glass to clean and prepare the surface for bonding. Second, a primer, which is essentially a carbon black dispersion which also contains a compound having silane and/or isocyanate functionality, often referred to as “black-out primer”, is then applied over the top of the clear primer. Third, an adhesive is applied to the primed glass which is then installed into the structure. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,905, incorporated herein by reference. The black-out primer can mar surfaces of a structure or vehicle onto which the black-out primer may be dripped during installation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,944 discloses a single-step primer system. The primer comprises an aqueous primer solution containing a silane coupling agent which is used to facilitate adhesion of a polymer to a non-porous inorganic substrate such as metal or glass. The silane coupling agent has an amino or a mercaptosilane functional group which is capable of reacting with functional groups of the polymer and also has one or more hydrolyzable groups which react with the free-hydroxyl groups on the surface of the substrate. This system requires long dry times before an adhesive can be applied. For many commercial operations, such long dry times are unacceptable. This is especially true in automotive assembly plants wherein each operation needs to be completed in a short period of time.
Yao et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,752 discloses the method for adhering a polyurethane based sealant or adhesive to a substrate which comprises applying an aqueous primer solution onto the substrate which comprises water, an amino titanate compound, and preferably, an epoxy silane having at least one epoxy group and at least two alkoxy groups. Thereafter, a polyurethane adhesive is applied to the primer treated surface. A reaction product is formed between the primer and polyurethane.
In order for a primer and adhesive system to be commercially viable, the system must provide a durable bond. “Durable bond” means that the adhesive holds the window into the structure for a period of years. As the structure to which window glass is traditionally bonded lasts for a significant number of years, it is expected that the bond holding the glass into a structure also lasts a significant number of years. What is needed is a system which bonds glass or coated plastic into a structure which does not require black-out primer, which provides durable adhesion and which does not require long dry times between application of the primer and application of the adhesive. What is further needed is a system which allows for durable adhesion of the adhesives to the substrate surface.